In Group C, Ivory Coast stretched their lead to four points with two rounds left with a 3-0 win in the Gambia as Lacina Traore, Wilfried Bony and reigning African Footballer of the Year Yaya Toure were on target.

Tanzania's hopes of overtaking 'The Elephants' were all but ended when they lost 2-1 in Morocco.

In Group B, Tunisia maintained a five-point lead over Sierra Leone by holding them 2-2 in Freetown.

There was also a 2-1 consolation win for Cape Verde Islands over Equatorial Guinea. The surprise 2013 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinalists had suffered three straight losses in their bid for a place in Rio.

The winners of the 10 African qualifying groups go through to the third and final section where they are whittled down to five teams for Brazil 2014